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Tiger fails to pounce in second round

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Tiger Woods finished another disappointing round with another bogey Friday, then headed to the practice range.

There was a lot of work to do.

Unfortunately for Woods, it’s probably too late to do anything about another major championship slipping away.

Woods plodded through an even-par 70 at Oak Hill when there were 60s all over the place, leaving him a daunting 10 shots behind leader Jason Dufner heading to the weekend of the PGA Championship.

Making the task even more difficult, there were 37 players between Dufner, who was at 9-under 131, and Woods.

“Just the way it goes,” Woods said. “Obviously, I need to hit it better than I have.”

He has yet to break par through two days on a course that was ripe for the taking, the greens softened by plenty of rain and receptive to iron shots from the world’s best players.

Woods is certainly one of those – maybe the best ever – but he simply can’t find the magic that once made him such an intimidating figure in the Grand Slam events.

He has been stuck on 14 major titles since his victory at the 2008 U.S. Open, and it looks as if he’ll go through a fifth consecutive year without winning one of them – by far the longest drought of his career.

Even in a year when Woods has five victories on the PGA Tour, three more than anyone else, he can’t put it together in the events that really matter. In 14 rounds at the major championships, he has shot in the 60s only once.

“Obviously I’m going to have to put together a really good weekend,” Woods said. “This golf course is pretty soft. It’s definitely gettable. I’ve got to hit the ball in play and keep the ball near the hole so I can be aggressive with my putts.”